Ori and the Will of the Wisps review

Exceptional

by f1restone

Other reviews3

Ori and the Will of the Wisps is faithful to the original entry. The first hour is really rough around the edges, but it gets much better as you get more of Ori's movement kit and abilities. The story is subpar and predictable, but likes to pretend it's more grandiose than it is. The visual design is amazing, with breathtaking, colorful environments and details where it counts. The soundtrack is also expertly crafted, with songs fitting the mood and environment nicely.

The gameplay is where Ori shines. It's fluid (most of the time) and fast. Your actions feel impactful. There's plenty of gameplay options facilitated through equippable "Shards" (taken straight from Hollow Knight's charms) and a variety of weapons. There's a few moments where the platforming required is too precise, but you can just come back to those bits once you've unlocked more movement abilities. Speaking of abilities, all of them feel appropriately powerful, but a few outclass the others really badly (looking at you, Launch), to the point where you'll never use the old abilities again. To be completely fair, you get Launch really late in the game, so the power fantasy is appropriate.

A few puzzles are poorly designed, but only barely. The world could have been more interconnected, but considering the game's length (it's short), it's passable. Definitely recommend to any fan of the original. It makes for a good action hack-and-slash platformer, but a poor metroidvania.